Brett Rayl, Christ Bible Institute’s executive director, tells a story about the need for church revitalization in Japan.

Listening to Local Pastors

Brett Rayl, Christ Bible Institute’s executive director, tells a story about the need for church revitalization in Japan:

“I asked a Japanese pastor friend whether he would consider supporting new church plants in his area. He expressed his desire to do so, but acknowledged it would be difficult given the challenges he already faces in his own church. He shared that his church, and other churches in his city, would be excited to participate in church planting if they could first gain help in revitalizing their own churches.”

In other words: for pastors and churches like these, church revitalization is not an alternative to church planting—it is a means of church planting.

Next Steps for Deeper & Further:
Hosting a Church Revitalization Conference

CBI’s Joy of Japan Center was founded with a vision of supporting Japanese pastors in the work of church planting and church revitalization. The church in Japan is currently facing challenges that make this work urgent, including aging pastors and shrinking congregations. There is a growing conviction among Japanese Christian leaders that church revitalization is an urgent need. But there is no clear definition of what church revitalization entails in Japan.

In order to address this urgent need, CBI is preparing to host a revitalization conference that will bring together 50 to 100 Japanese pastors and ministers, including many who have thought deeply about the topic of church revitalization. The conference will provide a forum for Japanese pastors and leaders to not only define what church revitalization looks like in Japan, but also cast a vision to equip each other to pursue this urgent calling.

The church revitalization project includes provision for several follow-up events in addition to the initial conference. The cost for the project is $30,000.

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Campaign Need

The total cost for the four “Deeper & Further: Next Steps” projects comes out to $199,941. By God’s grace, we have received a 1:1 matching grant for up to $46,005 of the total amount!

Please stay tuned for further information about the library enhancement project next week. Meanwhile, would you consider making a special gift today to help us reach our goal?

Any funds raised beyond our goal will be used for other CBI efforts to take the gospel deeper and further throughout Japan.

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Phone #: (+81) 052-462-8331
Fax #: (+81) 052-462-8334
CBI.Friends.Japan@gmail.com

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